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(No Model.)

F. MEN N E. APPARATUS FOR ROLLING SHEET METAL. No. 581,078.

Patented Apr. 20, 1897.

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F. MENNE.

APPARATUS FOR ROLLING SHEET METAL. N0. 581,078, Patented Apr. 20, 1897.

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APPARATUS FOR ROLLING SHEET METAL.

No. 581,078. Patented Apr. 20, 1897.

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F. MENNE. APPARATUS FOR ROLLING SHEET METAL. No. 581,078. Patented Apr. 20, 1897.

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P. MENNE. APPARATUS FOR ROLLING SHEET METAL.

No. 581,078. Patented Apr. 20, 1897.

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APPARATUS FOR ROLLING SHEET METAL. I

H ll"! 1 W y- 6 I -c 9 p 19 A I I H ll I'll j in! if??? A ZWL UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

FRITZ MENNE, OF \VEIDENAU-SIEG, GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR ROLLING SHEET METAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 581,078, dated April 20, 1897.

Application filed May 15,1896. Serial No. 591,718. (No model.) Patented in England June 27, 1895, No. 12,457; in France Tune 27, 1895,1l0. 248,481, and in Austria October 14,1895,No.4=6/1,447-

To all whom it 71m concern:

Be it known that I, FRITZ MENNE, engineer, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Weidenau-Sieg, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in Appa-. ratus for Rolling Sheet Metal, of which the following is a specification. 1

This invention has been patented to me in Austria, No. LG/1AM, dated October 14,1895;

in Great Britain, No. 12,l57, dated June 27, 1895, and in France, No. 248381, dated June 27, 1895.

- My invention relates to improvements in rolling-mills for the production of thin sheet metal of all kinds and especially for rolling out thick sheet-iron into thinner sheets of greater length, and that as far as possible by the piece or separate sheet. This has practically been shown to be impossible in the sheet-rollin g mills hitherto used on account of the elasticity and yielding nature of the several working parts andof the framing, and for that reason finesheets are rolled in packs or bundles'. e., a considerable number of them laid one on the top of the other.

If it be desired to roll out separate sheets or pieces, iron bands or strips, or the like into thinner metal and so obtain a great extension and auniform product, it becomes necessary, especially for the thinnest grades, to substitute for the set-screwshitherto used in rolling-mills (which set-screws serve to adjust the rolls inv relation to each other) a device which not only serves-to enable one to exaetly adjust the rollers,.but to maintain these latter under all circumstances, of course in I the normal rolling process, in that identical positionp x If a metal sheet be introduced between the rotatingrollers, it acts while being drawn in by them as a: wedge,ftending1to force them apart. Inficonsequence of this pressure the .journalsof the rolls first press againsttheir bearings, and these transmit the pressure to theset-screws, andthe latter'throw-the strain on their nuts. In each and all of these parts 1 a certainamount-of yielding: takes place as soon-asthe-article to be rolled; enters the rolls.

. Inadditio n to all thiscomesthe elasticityof ther yielding. Consequently it becomesi'mthe housing-frame itself,which creates a-f u rpossible to maintain the screw-adjusted rolls in the adjusted position, inasm uch as yielding is always taking place during the rolling. For this reason it is impossible to turn out the finest sheets singly with rolling-mills where the rolls are adjusted by means of set-screws unless the rolls be so strongly pressed together by turning the screw that the giving or yielding in the'frames is as far as possible prevented, in which case, however, there would be,when the rolls are running empty, an enormous expenditure of power apart from many other evils, such as fracture of rolls, wearing of brasses. If, however, instead of the setscrews, which resist the pressure tending to force the rolls apart, water-pressure is employed, which, by means of hydraulic pistons, presses the rolls together therefore an active pressure issubstituted for a resistance, and it is evident that the yielding in the housin g-frames is rendered inoperative before the rolling process begins; but in order that there may be no waste of power when the rolls are running idle projections a formed on the bearings a, Fig. 1, are pressed together as soon as the piston receives the Water-pressure. In this manner the full pressure in tended to be applied can beturned on without the rolls themselves being pressed together. It is possible to regulate beforehand the approximation of the rolls to each other with minute accuracy by means of suitable sheet-strips placed between these projections. The same result may also be obtained by the use of wedges moved by screws. This arrangement also'affords security against any fracture occurring in the housing-frames, in-

asmuch as the hydraulic pressure employed may always'fall short of thebreaking strain of, any of the several parts, though greater than the force required to drawer roll-out the sheet to. be rolled, Then if the material passing through the rolls should be too thick or too hard the water wouldbedriven out of.

.the cylinder without any fracture occurring, hi'nasm uch 'as there. can-be no higher pressure in the housing-frames than that corresponding totheheadiof water andflto the areaof f the piston; to trio as to duo mills or rolls, and also-in ease it is desired .to use rolls of small diameter,

This device is equally applicable which produce in a single operation a very considerable extension, which rolls must be supported by rolls of a greater diameter. In this case, however, the projections on the bearings must be correspondingly lengthened. This arrangement may be variously applied in practice according to the work to be done. Thus the pressure can be applied to the bearings and then the sheet to be rolled introduced into the rolls in the well-known manner, or the rolls may be opened or separated suiliciently far to allow the fore end of the sheet to be conveniently inserted between the rolls, so as to insure its being correctly lodged, and then only the pressure is turned on, so as to grip and roll the sheet as required. Such a rolling-mill is represented in Fig. l of the accompanying drawings, from which it is evident that the pistons P, pressing against the lower roll, will yield unequally to pressure. It'is therefore advantageous to apply a device which will maintain the rolls perfectly parallel during the working. To this end it is above all necessary to provide such a device as to produce an absolutely uniform pressure on both the press-pistons, and also bring about an identical yielding of the water acting on the two pistons, to which must also'be added that the rolls in the housing-frames must be prevented from all bending or deformation in one or the other direction, and must heat and wear equally.

The former objectviz., the exactly uniform pressure upon the two pistons and exactly uniform yielding of the sameis obtained in the present invention by placing both press-cylinders under water-pressure, which is preferably effected by connecting them with a hydraulic accumulator in which a constant pressure is maintained. In each pipe connecting the press-cylinders with the accumulator is arranged a check-valve which, as soon as the rolling-work begins and the press-pistons are thrust back by the rolls, cuts off the communication with the accumulator. Each press-eylind er, however, communicates, by means of a special connecting-pipe, with a third cylinder, and the pistons of these two cylinders are firmly connected with each other and suitably loaded. Hence it follows that if one of the press-pistons is loaded more heavily than the other and gives the exactly equal quantity of water is taken from the other press-cylinder, so that the two presspistons must each move through exactly the same distance. It is not necessary that the pistons should be rigidly connected to each other. They need only be applied to the same resistance in order to have their movement the same. Both pistons are during the rolling under strong pressure, and therefore one piston immediately follows the other if it takes more part'in the pressing than the other. It is also advisable to provide arrangements for avoiding drawbacks produced by the water containing a certain amount of air. It

has been found that air is always pumped into the press-cylindcr together with water, and it is difficult to get rid of that air. This air gathers at the packing and under the piston and gives a certain elasticity to the water. To get rid of this elasticity is also an object of the present invention. This is effected by rigidly connecting the press-piston proper with a smaller one and by applying waterpressure to the latter in the opposite direction, so that the press-piston proper has to overcome a certain resistance before it presses the rolls together. The movement of the press-piston proper toward the rolls is limited bya nutwhich is placed on a screw-threaded continuation of the rod connecting the piston, which rod is preferably led through the smaller piston. The bending of the operative rolls is prevented in a well-known manner by supporting-rolls, which, however, are made in this invention longer than the operative rolls. By means of this special arrangement the equal and uniform cooling of the operating-rolls by the supporting-rolls is obtained, for the latter are uniformly warmed along the line of contact with the very-much heated working rollers by that very contact, while the cooling, accelerated by means of the cooling-water on the bearings of the supporting-rolls, takes place so far away from the line of contact of the rolls as to leave the condition unchanged on that particular line. Moreover, by this arrangement the working rolls will be entirely uninfl uenced by possible dropping of cooling-water from the upper supporting-rolls. A11 improved rollinganill of this kind is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

V Figure 1 is an end view of a pair of rollers and a frame, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a front view, partly in section. Fig.3 is a cross-section through the housingframes; Fig. 4, a cross-section through the hydraulic regulator on an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a modification of the latter. Figs. 6 and 7 show the press-pistons which prevent the bad effects of the presence of air in the water. Figs. 8 and 0 show devices for causing the pistons to move uniformly, and Fig. 10 is a partial plan view of the tables shown in Fig. 3.

In the housing-frame A three working rolls 1) are so jonrnaled as to be capable of aslight vertical movemcntwithin certain limits. The object of this arrangement is that when running idle the rolls may slide against each other and mutually keep themselves round and clean. These working rolls are of exceptionally hard material and of comparatively small diameter. They are mounted in bearings c, which are vertically movable in the frames to the full extent of the working limit of height and have to stand only a slight lateral pressure, but no pressure in the vertical direction. The vertical pressure is transmitted to the supporting-rolls a, which are extremely thick and, as already stated,

IIO

55 the water-pressure in the cylinders Q Q is I influenced by the pistons 50 y. Consequently the specific loading of these pistons deterlonger than the working rolls 1). The journals e of these two supporting-rollers are placed in brasses d, which have to bear the whole vertical pressure and are therefore suitably cooled. Any Water dropping from the bearings of the supporting-rollers'is' intercepted and carried away by suitable protecting-sheets f, Fig. 2. r The brasses of the lower supporting-rolls are each connected with a press-piston P and P, respectively, which are packed and guided in press-cylinders Q Q. These cylinders have hydraulic connection by pipes q and q with an accumulator R, and in each of these connectingpipes is fixed a check-valve 'u and c. In front of these check-valves branch pipes r and 1" connect the pipes q q with the cylinders X and Y, and in each of which fits a cross head or block it and so loaded that the pressure of the accumulator R does not sufiice to lift them, Fig. 4. The cross-head It may also be loaded by a spring .9, which only comes into operation when the pistons x and y have. been raised a certain distance. A set-screw S may limit the stroke of these pistons.

The rolling-mill works as follows: The supporting-rolls, or, better, the working-rolls, are set in rotary motion in any convenient manner while a pump forces water into the accumulator R. Therenpon the rolls are set running against each other and the checkvalves 22 c are opened. Bypreviously introducing acaliber-sheet between the working rolls the height has already been determined to which the set-screw S is to be adjusted. If now a thinmetal sheet lying on the table T of the rolling-mill be pushed in between the working rolls 1), these latter part and simultaneously the hydraulic pistons P P are pressed downward. The pistons seek to drive the Waterfrom' the cylinders Q Q back into the accumulator through q q, and con-- sequently close the check-valveso r, so that all communication between the press-cylinders Q Q and the accumulator R ceases.

Owing to the insertion of the sheet to be rolled out between the working rolls and the cutting off of the watera most powerful increase of pressure results in the cylinders Q Q, which pressure is transmitted through the connecting-pipes r r to the cylinders X Y, so that during the period of rolling proper mines the limit of pressure during the rolling. There are therefore two different pressures atwork in the housing-frame-the pressure from the accumulator, which presses the rolls against each-other when they run idle,

and the resistance pressure, prod uced by the specific load on the pistons an 1 which pressure does the rolling work. Such arrangement secures an insignificant pressure when the rolls run idle and a Very high working pressure during the rolling of material. However, inasmuch as these two pistons w y are rigidly united they can only move jointly over a common distance. Consequently also the press-pistons P P can only move identically, whereby results an absolutely uniform pressure on the lower supportingrollers. Now if the cross-head 71 has been raised to a certain height the spring 8, lying loosely thereon, strikes the frame Z, so that any f urther lifting of the cross-head 71, is necessarily attended by an increase of pressure. The stroke of the cross-head h, and therefore the maximum distance of the possible separation between the pair of working rolls 1), can be determined by the set-screws S. At the back of the rolls the rolled sheet metal passes over a grate-shaped guideT'ontoatable T and at the very moment that the rolled sheet quits the rolls the pistons 00 y are depressed, so that the pistons P P again press the rolls together, while any Water wasted through deficient packing is at once replaced from the accumulator R, the water in which once more opens the valves 1) c. The metal sheet is then drawn on the table T sufficiently far for its hinder edge to be free of a pivoted grate-shaped leverU, engaging with the grate T. This lever drops into the-position shown in full lines in Fig. 3, so that when the workman moves the sheet forward it is guided between the upper working rolls 1) and rolled out again.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 10, the grate-shaped lever U is composed of a series of bars arranged above and alternately with the bars of the guide T. The bars of lever U are pivoted with their heavier ends away from the rolls, so that said heavier ends normally drop in between the bars of the guide T. It will thus be seen that they readily move out of the way of the sheet of metal as it passes through the spring sis replaced by hydraulic pressure.

For this purpose the pressure regulating pistons 41; 'y are firmly united by a frame h. To this frame are connected rods H, carrying acylinderm. .In this latter isa tightly-packed hollow piston M, secured to the framing Z,

- which piston leads, by means of a connectingpipe m, the water forced out by the movement of m into a cylinder N. The piston n of the. cylinder N is lifted and at a certain point of its rise comes into contact with and also raises a loosely-guided weight 9, so that weight of the cylinder m and rods h can be counteracted by balance-weights m while a safety-valve may be provided in the pipe leading from the pistons P P to the pistons :U y, so as to guard against fracture by any excessive strain.

Figs. 6 and 7 show modified forms of the press-cylinders, which prevent the influence of elasticity of water. In Fig. 6 the two pistons P and P are in separate cylinders Q Q and are rigidly connected bya rod 10. Aleather ring 11 or the like is used for packing the rod connecting the pistons. If the smaller piston is exposed to higher pressure, then the water in the larger cylinder Q is already in a state of strong compression before the piston P moves. This compression reduces the airinelosed in the water to such a small volume that this air can have no influence. As only the excess of pressure of the piston P is noticeable on the rolls, the idle running of rolls when they are not under pressure will not be influenced. The connecting-rod is easy to pack, as the two press-cylinders are pressed against each other. Both the press-pistons P and P may also be arranged in cylinders Q Q in a single casing 12 and be pressed in different directions, as shown in Fig. 7. In this arrangement the two pistons would, however, stand under the same specific pressure, whereby the resistance of the smaller pressure-piston P would be less variable than in the arrangement shown in Fig. 6, but the second arrangement has the advantage of not necessitating any packing of the rod 13, connecting the piston.

It is advantageous to limit the u pward movement of the two pistons, and this may be effected in different ways. In the drawings the limiting is shown to be effected, for example, by a nut E, which is placed on acontinuation of the rod connecting the two pistons and passing through the smaller one.

This nut E is pressed, in the upward movement of the piston, against a bridge C. Thereby the nut E not onlylimits the amount of movement of the piston toward the rolls, but does not interfere at all with its backward movement. It can be easily seen that the continuation has to stand only the excess of pressure on the larger piston and is not affected by the pressure of the rolls. The whole pressure is supported only by the pressurepiston, unlike in the ordinary rolling-mills, with screws, where the screw has to stand the full pressure.

The regulation of the movement of the pistons P P, in case it be not uniform, may be effected by strongly connecting them with pistons D D, Figs. 8 and 9. The pistons D D have water on both sides, which water is forced out by their movement. The waterspace I, which stands over the piston of each cylinder, communicates with the water-space II, which is under the piston of the other cyl inder. If the pistons D D have the same area, then the movement of either piston will produce an increase of pressure on the other piston, which makes the movement of both pistons uniform. In this case also a screw may limit, asin Fig. 6, the forward movement of P P. To be able to do without packing forpistons, the modification shown in Fig. 9 can be used. Of course the water-space I must then have a smaller diameter in order that the areas of spaces I and II remain equal. The cylinders c and c are secured to each other by a suitable joint g.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is-- I 1. In a rolling-mill, the combination with a movable roll and a pair of hydraulic-pressure pistons arranged to transmit pressure to the bearings of said roll, of a pair of pressureregulating pistons having independent hydraulic communication with the pressure-pistons respectively, an accumulator for supplying the pressure-pistons, and means whereby the regulating-pistons are loaded equally at all times, substantially as described.

2. In a rolling-mill, the combination with a pair of hydraulic-pressure pistons arranged to transmit pressure to the bearings of aroll, of a pair of pressure-regulating pistons having a common load or resistance, and independent communicating passages between the chambers of the pressure-pistons and their respective regulating-pistons, substantially as described.

3. In a rolling-mill, the combination with a movable roll and hydraulic-pressure pistons, of pressure-regulating pistons having 11ydraulic connections with the pressure-pistons, said regulating-pistons being normally loaded and provided wit-h means for increasing the load as the pistons move out of their cylinders, substantially as described.

4. In a rolling-mill, the combination with a movable roll and hydraulic-pressure pistons, of regulating-pistons having independent hydraulic eonnectionswith the pressure-pistons respectively, the regulatingpistons being connected to move simultaneously and provided with means for increasing their load or resistance as they are moved outward, substantially as described.

5. In a rolling-mill, the combination with a movable roll and hydraulic-pressure pistons, of an aecum ulator, hydraulic connections between the aecumulator and each of the pressure-pistons, a check-valve in each of said connections, pressure-regulating pistons having independent hydraulic connections with the pressure-pistons respectively, and means for applying a common load or resistance to said regulating-pistons, substantially as de scribed.

6. In a rolling-mill, the combination with a movable roll and hydraulic-pressure pistons, of an accumulator in hydraulicconnection with said pistons, two pressure-regulating pistons also having independent hydraulic con- IIO nections with said pressure-pistons respectively, and means whereby equal spring-pressure is applied to said regulating-pistons, substantially as described.-

7. In a rolling-mill, the combination with a movable roll and hydraulic-pressure pistons, of pressure-regulating pistons having hydraulic connection with said pressu re-pistons, a rigid connection between said regulatingpistons, means for loading said regulatingpistons and increasing the load as they move outward, and a stop to limit their outward movement, substantially as described.

8. In a rolling-mill, the combination with a movable roll and hydraulic-pressure pistons, of pressure-regulatihg pistons in hydraulic connection with said pressure-pistons, a rigid connection between said regulating-pistons whereby they are caused to move together and an adjustable stop for limiting their outward movement, substantially as described.

0. In a rolling-mill, the combination with operating-rolls, of supporting-rolls of greater length, the journals of the supporting-rolls being located outside of the journals of the I operating-rolls whereby the drip from said substantially as described.

journals will not afiect said operating-rolls,

, 10. In a-rollin'g-mill, the combination with a movable roll and pressure-pistons, of equalizing-pistons rigidly connected to the pressure-pistons and hydraulic connections between the upper side of each equalizing-piston and the lower side of the other equalizingpiston, whereby the movement of the pressure-pistons is rendered equal, substantially as described.

11. In a rolling-mill, the combination with the g'rate-shaped guide T, of a grate-shaped arin cooperating therewith, substantially as described.

12. In a rolling-mill, the combination with the rolls, of a table T, inclined grate-shaped guide T, table T and tilting grate-shaped leve'r U arranged, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRITZ MENNE.

\Vitnesses:

SOPHIE NAGEL, WILLIAM H. MADDEN. 

